Avengers: Disassembled

The Original Avengers come to an end in this collection by Brian Michael Bendis. 

Bendis in my opinion is a fantastic writer and a thrilling plotter. He crafts situations that are so shocking and unexpected that I can understand why he's such a controversial character in his craft. But I like him. There's a really good interview with Bendis added to the director's commentary section. It gives some amazing insight into his thought process. Many fans feel like Bendis hates the characters he writes by putting them through the wringer like he does. However, in that interview, Bendis explains that if he made the lives of each character that he was fan of without their trials, it would get pretty boring, pretty quick.

Avengers: Disassembled recounts the worst day in Avengers history. The story is 20 years old and yet I do do not want to spoil it for readers who might not have read it yet. However, I can say that you don't have to read 5 'Disassembled' storylines that take place with Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Spider-Man and Captain America. Those books 'weave a complete tapestry' of the 'Disassembled' epic but you won't miss anything if you stick to the Avengers who are the main focus of this period in Marvel history.

I believe that I can also reveal without ruining anything by saying that if you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and you wish to learn more about the comic book influences of WandaVision, Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness and Agatha All Along, then you will want this volume!

The artwork of the main story is by David Finch. I thought it was dynamic. In his sketchbook at the end of this book, he gets really in-depth into a particularly shocking segment. Finch is really hard on himself, pointing out all of the imperfections in his work. I totally relate. As a chef, I constantly find ways I could have made the dish better while all those who eat my creations think it's amazing. Finch as an artist sees how he could have improved while I am looking at every panel thinking it's sheer perfection. 

Also included in this volume is a one-shot finale where dozens of Avengers artists from the past 500 issues join together to recount some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes favorite moments as an Avenger while saying goodbye to the Avengers Mansion which is to be turned into a monument to the heroes who fell in the onslaught. 

A great addition to my Avengers collection of works.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Marvel Age Fantastic Four, Vol. 3: The Return of Doom (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Before the advent of Marvel's all-ages Marvel Adventures imprint, the House of Ideas introduced young readers to their most popular characters with Marvel Age. Along with incorporating a handful of Manga inspired titles from Marvel's failed Tsunami line, Marvel Age retold the earliest adventures of Spider-Man, the Hulk and the Fantastic Four. Updated with modern twists, writer Marc Sumerak and artists Alitha Martinez and Joe Dodd followed the original plots of Marvel's First Family created by legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. 

Volume 3 of Marvel Age Fantastic Four, 'The Return of Doom' reprinted the last 4 issues of the all-ages series. 

Issue #9 sees Mr. Fantastic dogged by creditors in 'The End of the Fantastic Four.' Recent bad investments lead Reed Richards to accept an offer from Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner to star in a reality series starring the FF. In a challenge show similar to Survivor, it's a battle for survival as all of Namor 's challenges are secretly rigged as fights to the death!

Issue #10, the title story, ushers in 'The Return of Doctor Doom!' Victor Von Doom has escaped from am orbital prison constructed by Mr. Fantastic thanks to a pair of aliens called Ovoids. From the creatures' space ship, Doctor Doom discovers a way to switch bodies with Reed. Now Doom's mind is in Richards' body and the leader of the Fantastic Four is trapped inside the iron armor of Doom.

After escaping from the clutches of their arch-enemy, the Fantastic Four meet 'The Impossible Man!' In this retelling of the classic second story of issue #11, the are plagued by the madcap antics of the shape-changing visitor from the planet Poppup.

Issue #12 retells the team's epic first encounter with the green colossus, The Incredible Hulk. After another top secret project is destroyed, the United States Army calls upon the FF to investigate. General Thunderbolt Ross is convinced that the sabotage is the result of another Hulk rampage. Dr. Bruce Banner is convinced it's something else and he should know since he's secretly the Hulk!

Featuring modernized versions of some of the greatest Marvel stories ever written, the Marvel Age imprint only lasted from 2004-05. It's predecessor, Marvel Adventures vastly outlived Marvel Age, running from 2005-2012. The success was large part to the addition of Darwyn Cooke who crafted a story Bible that set Marvel's best and brightest into new adventures that were nostalgic without relying completely on the scripts of Lee and Kirby. The artwork was less manga heavy as the Marvel Age books were and reflected a more sleeker style that was more commercial. As with all good things, the imprint was dismantled in order to usher in books based on the Disney XD animated lineup that were set in the Marvel cinematic universe. Being that the Fantastic Four were the property of Fox Studios, young readers were no longer able to find new comic book exploits of Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Woman and The Human Torch by 2013.

Completing this review completes Task #8 (Starring the Human Torch) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Bizarro World (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Bizarro World is a loose sequel to 2001's Bizarro Comics. Whereas the earlier book was a collection of vignettes and previously cancelled material from some of the industry's top Indy talent, book-ended by a story in which Mr. Mxyzptlk is aided by Bizarro to save his 5th dimension home from an alien invader, the later work was a strict anthology in every sense of the word.

Featuring the talents of the Hernandez Brothers, Evan Dorkin, Raina Telgemeier and a host of others, 2005's Bizarro World pales in comparison to it's processor with one major deviation: Christmas stories! 

Andy Merrill and Roger Langridge's 'Jing Kal-El' is an oddball Elseworld in which we see what would have happened to the Last Son of Krypton if his rocket ship had crash landed into Santa's work shop at the North Pole. In 'Batman Smells', actor-comedian Patton Oswalt reveals the origins to the alternate lyrics of Jingle Bells. Artist Bob Fingerman takes viewers on a tour through Gotham City sewers and the Batcave in order to discover the answer. A couple of other stories have scenes that take place in otherwise non-holiday themed tales. But it adds to the unexpected merriment of an otherwise lacking anthology.

For being a graphic novel named after the Superman Family character, Bizarro is noticeably absent from a majority of this book. He does appear in the title story by Chris Duffy and Scott Morse, explaining that 'Bizarro World' is a DC Comics themed amusement park designed from a Bizarro point of view. However, the real Bizarro #1 is a closeted intellectual who milks his backwards persona for profit. Only those riches come at the cost of the anti-villain's dignity. A Harvey Pekar penned farce also stars Bizarro bringing the total number of appearances to 2. 

Not counting the cover by Jaime Hernandez. Batman is the winner of most starring roles in this book with a grand total of 8! The Legion of Super-heroes comes in third with a trio of appearances.

While a very Batman heavy book, just about every character in the DC Universe appears in this book, if only for just a 'Wheres Waldo?' type-cameo as part of the background scenery of a panel. Supergirl, The Spectre and Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth are among the characters who star in this collection of over 2 dozen short stories that look at DC Comics with an askew view.

Completing this review completes Task #12 (An Anthology) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Rating: 5 out of 10 stars.

I Luv Halloween, Vol 1

A Halloween themed manga written by Keith Giffen. I couldn't pass it up. And yet like a driver who picks up the hitchhiker from Hell, I kinda wish that I had kept on driving. 

I Luv Halloween has got to be the must inappropriate, goriest romp starring kids that I have ever read. Imagine the movie Gummo, if it was set during Halloween. (I really want to compare this with the film Kids. However, there's nowhere as much animal murder and cruelty in that controversial film compared to Gummo.)

The book is about a group of 4 boys as they go trick-or-treating. After getting apples at their first couple of houses, the boys decide to break the curse by putting razor blades in one of the fruits and unleash the unmitigated fury of the law on one of their stingy neighbors. Meanwhile, one of the boy's sisters has broken free from the group and has begun a reign of unintentional terror, killing the neighborhood bully, bludgeoning a cheerleader and her boyfriend and much, much more unspeakable acts. 

If I thought Giffen was trying to do a straight out horror story on par with Children of the Corn, I'd probably not feel like I need to take a shower just for writing this review. But the kids in the book do most of their gruesome acts with a sense of innocence. It's almost like the worst Murphy's law bad luck of all time following these kids and they just go through life not understanding just how destructive they are. Remember how Steve Urkel would ask 'did I do that?', whenever something went wrong? Well, these kids, for the most part, don't even know that they are doing terrible things. Well, the sister might. There's definitely something not quite right about her...

The artwork is by Benjamin Roman. At the time this book was published, in 2005, he was a relative newcomer with this being his very first professionally published work. His art style is extremely exaggerated. Roman would fit in quite well at MAD Magazine. I wonder what became of him...

This one isn't a keeper for me. I wasn't a huge fan of it. There's a lot going on that I'm not even sure happened or not as several of kids are not very reliable narrators. And yet, there's 2 more volumes and I just need to find out what is true and what is the fever dreams of a group of horny preteens. Plus I just need to know what is wrong with the sister. She just not quite right in the head.

Not the coming of age tale you'd feel comfortable sharing with your kids or grand kids. I fact, if you didn't feel uncomfortable after reading this book I'd think something might be wrong with you...

Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Babymouse, Volume 2: Our Hero (Family Comic Friday)

I dug into a classic for this week's review. The character of Babymouse isn't a stranger to my blog. I've reviewed a couple of comic samplers that have included her adventures chronicled by the brother/sister duo of Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm. I've even reviewed her Christmas book. This just happens to be the first full-length regular book starring Babymouse and friends that I've ever read and reviewed.

Babymouse is like most elementary school kids. Classes are boring. Her imagination runs wild. And gym class is a source of great stress, especially when it comes time to play dodge ball! In the past, Babymouse has been able to sick her way out of gym class whenever dodge ball rolls around. Now that her coach has decreed that next week's game is mandatory, Babymouse will have to swallow her fears and play against her dreaded nemesis, Felecia- the meanest girl in the entire school! 

Well, Babymouse does have a week until that game. Maybe best buddy Wilson can train her into becoming the world's greatest dodge ball player! Maybe a massive blizzard will pop up and force school to be cancelled! Let's face it; the odds of these things happening are really, really low. Just don't forget to bring your sneakers with you, Babymouse!

This book was a lot of fun. It was extremely cute. This book was from 2005 and yet everything felt fresh and new. Babymouse's imagination knows no bounds as there are a ton of references to some awesome franchises in this graphic novel. 

I didn't plan it this way, but there's an all-new Babymouse adventure debuting in stores next week. It appears that Babymouse has grown up a little with her new series, The Big Adventures of Babymouse. Not only is the character a bit bigger, so is the format of the new graphic novels. Instead of being digest-sized, like the original series was, the continuation is more formatted to reflect the dimensions of a comic book. Volume 2: Besties will hit store shelves on October 3rd!

A world of fun in black and white and hot pink!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

G.I. Joe: Arashikage Showdown

Gosh darn it if ninjas aren't the breakout stars of the G.I. Joe franchise. You've got members of every branch of the US military. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard. There's probably a TSA agent on the team nowadays. On the side of the baddies, you've got swamp rats and punks, iron clad aristocrats, and robots. And just who are the more popular characters of the series? It's the freakin' ninjas!

Their popularity is all due to the godfather of G.I. Joe, Larry Hama. He was tasked with creating an interesting background for a Hasbro cost cutting measure and out of his bag of tricks, Hama gives us Snake-Eyes. Hama pulled from his Japanese heritage to give a rather bland looking all-black plastic 3.75 inch action figure an awesome background story. A veteran of the Vietnam war, Snake-Eyes is injured in a helicopter crash. Having lost his ability to talk and basically looking like a full-faced Two-Face, Snake-Eyes trains to become a ninja of the Arashikage Clan which is kind of a big deal since Snake-Eyes is a white guy and ninjas are supposed to be extinct. 

That's pretty much where we come in with this Manga G.I. Joe story from Devil's Due Publishing imprint D3. Snake-Eyes, along with Scarlett are summoned to Japan by former Joes Jinx and Nunchuk. An ancient scroll thought lost for centuries has been stolen. This parchment, hidden since the fall of the ninja, speaks of amazing powers that can make a ninja invisible in daylight. In the hands of an evil force like Cobra it can be destructive to world peacekeeping efforts. For the few remaining members of the Arashikage clan, it's personal.

I'm not known for being a fan of manga. But I am an established fan of G.I. Joe. I've read the complete Marvel run. I'm close to complete ownership of the other Marvel Joe supplemental series. And I am slowly getting the Devil's Due and IDW runs. Thus I felt when I found this book a couple of years ago, I couldn't pass it up. 

I didn't sit on this book because of any attempt to get the rest of the Devil's Due run. In fact, I didn't know that D3 was in any way related to Devil's Due. No, the reason I waited a while to read this is because I was looking for Volume 2. Guess what? There is no Volume 2! As with a lot of non-Japanese manga publishers in the 2000s, D3 went defunct soon after the publication of this here Volume 1. 

The story by Joshua Blaylock (Mercy Sparx) was very confusing. There's a bunch of names of clans, historical characters and Joe characters that I wasn't familiar with. That's because even though this is a one-shot manga, Arashikage Showdown was tied-in to the regular Devil's Due comic. Technically, it's also tied into the original Marvel Comics series. 

Keep in mind I haven't read any of the Devil's Due books. There's a character in this manga called Kamakura. He's Snake-Eyes apprentice. I had no idea who this new ninja Joe was. That was until I Googled him and learned that Kamakura is actually little Sean Broca, all grown up! (Don't remember Sean? Surely you'll remember Fred Broca, the Crimson Guardsman who is later replaced by Wade Collins!)

I think if I hadn't had Google at my beck and call, I would have hated this book. The artwork was decent. It didn't look all that very Manga-like. Well, until we had that very clunky looking ritual performed by Snake-Eyes. Over the span of several pages! Then the artwork got more emoji than emotional and it started to look less like something that was my thing and more of the interest of fans of anime would like. 

A saving grace for this book was the 4-page ending. It was powerful. It was deep. It was so good I re-read that segment twice. And it helps to save my review of this book!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Tales Designed to Thrizzle: Volume 1

   

Surreal... Absurd... Insane... Funny as Hell...

   There's really no better way to describe Michael Kupperman's 'Tales Designed to Thrizzle.' This 2005 comic skewers just about anything. But what makes it so incredible is that every joke is done with complete seriousness. From parodying buddy cop movies with stories starring the duo of Snake n' Bacon (an actual snake and a crispy piece of meat candy) as well as the unlikely pair of Albert Einstein and Mark Twain to the satire of mass media produced comics like a Bazooka Joe wrapper or those found on the back of a cereal box- nothing is sacred like Jesus' half brother, Pagus! And don't forget the Mannister, the man with the superpower to turn into a banister! Or the forbidden history of when America had a prohibition on pleasure unless it took place 5 feet above or below ground; all of which lead to the rich taking flight in sex blimps. (Don't worry, the lower classes got their kicks in underground sex holes..those dirty, dirty sex holes...)

   Man, I'm getting sucked up in the absurdity. Mostly, because this was how my brain works. In high school, I was a founding member of 2 guerrilla comedy troupes and we'd do all kinds of crazy stuff like this. Only, we either taped it or performed it during lunch... But man, those moments of surreal humor kept me sane during a very rough high school experience and it was great to blow off a little steam laughing my butt off reading this!

   My favorite part of these comics are the ads. They parody just about every odd advertisement you'd come across in an old comic book or in the personals of your local newspaper. Don't skip these! Some of them are so off-the-wall that you'll not be able to help yourself with a chuckle or two- like 'Learn How to Fall Down Stairs For Fun or Profit!'

   Great stuff that can't be beaten. Not everything is a winner but you can't lose checking out this strange but brilliant series.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

The Fog

   This Dark Horse graphic novel was written as a prequel to the 2005 remake of the Fog. However, as this incorporation ideas and story structure that John Carpenter wanted to include in his classic 1980 version, this book can act as a prequel to that film as well. That actually works quite well for me as I've seen the original (which scared the hell outta me) but not the remake.

    The prequel starts in China with a group of Shanghai traders fleeing a mysterious fog. They arrive in a coastal town in post-Civil War California, where they work in the town's mines and perform odd jobs. When one of the residents begins a series of gruesome experiments on one of the boat people, they unwittingly unleash the ancient curse hidden in the fog that the immigrants so desperately fled China from.

    The Fog was very good, but it wasn't great. (Which is what many people say of the original film from 1980.) The writing was good, the art was fantastic, and there was a great scare factor in the book, but something was missing. The story needed a little more tweaking in terms of plotting and pacing. Some scenes, that in my opinion seem unnecessary, drag on for several pages. Whereas when the story gets to the climax, and we have a chance to truly grasp what was done to cause the fog to come to America and curse the coastal town, everything seems rushed and vital information is either forgotten or glossed over in order to meet the page requirement of the book. 

    If this was a miniseries instead of a single volume comprised of 88 pages (really about 80 if you remove the forward and afterword) then I think more time could have been given to flesh out this story better. Like Carpenter's original film, this book was fraught with missing opportunities...

    I found this book at Ollie's for dirt cheap. If you don't find it there, Amazon has it few literal pennies on the dollar. This was a fun book and I probably should have waited for closer to Halloween to read this. But the awesome Mike Mignola (Hellboy) cover and dynamic palette by Dave Stewart (also of Hellboy fame) was too tempting for me to wait.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars
   

    

Grimm Fairy Tales Halloween Special #1A (Family Comic Friday)

Fairy tales are huge right now. With the Disney Pixar film Frozen, plus the popularity of ABC’s Once Upon a Time, if you are a fan of Cinderella, Elsa, or just about any Disney princess imaginable this is your time. So, I thought it would be fitting to examine a comic that on the surface looks harmless but is really edgy.

Grimm Fairy Tales is a series by Zenescope Entertainment. Started in 2005, the series follows the adventures of literature professor Dr. Sela Mathers who has the special ability to help people heal by using fairy tales. She has an evil nemesis; the red-haired Belinda. Sela, a raven haired beauty with glasses and other noticeable assets is the yin to Belinda’s yang. I’ve only read a couple of issues but from what I’ve gathered, the two are ‘sisters’ of a sort. There’s also allusion that Sela is in reality Snow White while Belinda is Snow’s troublesome sister, Rose Red.

Why have I not read many issues? Well, it’s got a lot of R-Rated material inside. Grimm usually is issued with at least 2 different covers. Cover A is fairly tame though the lead characters do seem to be literally busting at the seams. But its cover B, C, and even D that parents need to keep an eye out for. Those covers usually have the leads in more states of undress to the point that exclusive covers made specifically for conventions or comic shops feature partial to full nudity.

Now the two covers to the Halloween special are pretty tame in comparison but again to the uninitiated, the adage is true “don’t judge a book by its cover.” In this issue, 3 young children enter a neighbor’s haunted house to receive a treat during a lull in their Halloween festivities. The lead has fiery red hair, dressed as a witch, and wears a dental floss thong. Though she’s never named, I assume that this woman is Belinda.

The treat is a retelling of the classic story “The Monkey’s Paw.” That short story ends with a 'choose your own ending' type climax. The storyteller goes on to elaborate on what that ending is and then goes on to tell the story of Sal. Sal has come into possession of the paw, after the deaths of the previous owners. He’s been warned that the paw will grant your wishes with fearsome consequences.

Sal wishes for a girl, some money, and a few other luxuries. However, he never holds the paw when making the wish. So, really what’s happened is just plain dumb luck that’s pretty gruesome. The ending however is where the real horror is and the epilogue suggests more evil from the curse of the monkey’s paw will be unleashed again during the forthcoming Christmas special.

This special has sex, nudity, and several 4-letters swears. This would be a book that if it was a movie would probably be rated R or a hard PG-13 at the least. Other Grimm comics that I have read have more nudity, language, and some frightening witchcraft in them. This is one of the more tame books in the series that I have read.

Grimm Fairy Tales isn’t really my thing. I like the Vertigo title Fables a lot more. Yes, it’s got sex, blood, and isn’t for kids. But not every issue is a grindhouse unlike this series. I don’t recommend either title for a child to read. But, adults would love this series. However, because of the familiar characters in these series and the really colorful covers, it could easily be appealing to youngsters. So, buyers beware and take note the next time you want to buy your child a comic book about fairy tales.

I recommend the following: Anything with Disney on the cover, Muppet Peter Pan, Muppet Snow White, Avengers: Fairy Tales, Spider-man Fairy Tales, Betty & Veronica’s Princess Storybook and the Action Lab’s Princeless.

Next week, I’ll review another Halloween goody. This one will be kid friendly, parent approved. I promise.

Worth Consuming (for those older than 13!)

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars